I haven't been able to confirm that this book is available in English, but will keep on looking. It's one of the best sources of info on KNP I know of - all 640p thereof!

Written in 1990, ISBN 0 86953 043 7
Author Dr U de V Pienaar

It covers the history of the park. No references to good roads for game viewing or that kind of stuff. Purely academical. It's got some really cool photo's from when the park was developed. Starts with the Stone age which includes stunning info on Bushmen Paintings in the Park. There's more than we could ever imagine. After that it's one huge voyage of discovery. Tells you where all the historical monuments come from and why they were put up. Also has photo's of most every ranger ever associated with the park. Most books cover what animals are to be found in KNP, this book covers the human side of the Park.

Interesting spot this. The inscription on the Rock next to the road reads:

"You are at the Tropic of Capricorn, parallel latitude 23deg26'18
south of the Equator. It is at this latitude that the sun's rays strike the earth vertically on only one day of the year, at noon on or about 21 December. This marks the beginning of Summer in the Southern Hemisphere (Summer Solstice south of the Equator) and the beginning of winter in the Northern Hemisphere (Winter Solstice north of the equator)"

I would like to share the following excellent read with everyone.
Kruger National park - Wonders of an African Eden.
Nigel Dennis and Robert Scholes (1995).
I found this to be an excellent book in that it was filled with scientific facts while still containing appealing photography and valuable anecdotes. It is one of the rare books that approaches Kruger from the scientific/ecological point of view, and not the pure tourism view. In this respect, it is a definite plus on the shelf.
However, be quick , the book is apparently out of print, and copies not too easy to come by.

Hi Pac
Bought the book, very interesting, but at the back there are errors regarding the camp site i.e. Balule has 10 cottages, 3 guest houses, 25 bangalows - in actual fact Balule as only camping available an no electricity and classified as private, but is run by Parks board oh yeh and it's a large camp too has a shop, petrol, laudry, restaurant - really Orpen has 40 tents - should be Tamboti. Maybe there should have got their facts right on camps before book went into print!

It delves into the seasonal "tips" one should look out for at your particular time it deals with animals/birds and trees and it has thouroughly enhanced our kruger trip. In June at the moment one should look out for whitebacked vultures nesting, we saw a number of these and the flowering of the impala lilly which is actually quite a beautiful little plant.

A definite buy for anyone wanting to gain a little inside info.

Cheers
Mike

The popular argument for destroying rather than protecting snakes is lack of knowledge, and yet there is no valid excuse for this - Austin James Stevens

Just finished reading this thought-provoking book written by Jane Carruthers and published by the University of Natal press in 1995.

The book is bound to be viewed as controversial, as it offers a completely different perspective on the KNP based on the circumstances which led to the Park's creation and the pressures which have been put on it since through the influence of politics. An example of this is the story of Paul Kruger's involvement in the creation of the Park. According to the author, Kruger's passion for wildlife is a myth created in the 1940's, and the Park had been named after the person who really brought it into being, we would today be visiting the Loveday National Park!

A very interesting read, with some good historic photo's. I don't know if it is still in print, but if not, maybe you can get a copy through your local library.

The book - "Place Names of the Kruger National Park" is now available at Exclusive Books. It is one of the most interesting books I have come across and will definitely be accompanying me on all my trips to the Park. I am sure once the Forum members all start getting hold of it, there will be LOTS of discussions around it. A really great pice of work!!

For anyone who wishes to have a scientific understanding on the management of the Kruger ecosystem, the following book is a great study.
The Kruger Experience - Ecology and Management of Savanna Heterogeneity. Edited by J. Du Toit, K. Rogers and H. Biggs, Island Press.
I ordered mine through Exclusive Books, but I am sure for all of you living in the city you would be able to find it on their shelves.
It highlights the latest policies in the Park with regards to environmental management and places all the issues of culling, fire, water provision etc. into perspective from an ecosystem point of view.
It is not an easy bed time read, but a scientific manual, well worth the effort though.

When I finished reading through it for the first time - I was struck by the enormous task that rests on the shoulders of the KNP managemernt to keep the park going - especially the last chapters that look at human influences on and around the park. When you realise all the threats to the Park, internal and external then you can only take your hat off to the park managers. Comment was made on another thread about Mr. Mabunda's salary. I would gladly grant him that salary if you see what he achieved in steering the park through some very turbulent times after the political changes in South Africa post 1994.
Internally, you realise just how sensitive the Kruger ecosystem is to changes in the environment, and also how much there still is to learn from it.

Great to read on Kruger in those days.
A quote:The Park is rapidly approaching the level where it can take no more visitors without intruding on the concept that this is a wilderness area, to be preserved etc.

Even then, the same concerns we have now.

Another interesting thing is that he mentioned that the elephant culling program has been introduced to stabilize the population to 7.500.

Guinea Pig wrote:Which of the historical sites in the north are accessible to the public?

At Parfuri last July they had a resident Paleo Anthropologist who accompanied us on a drive one morning. We went to a site in the Makuleke concession which had been inhabited by Homo Erectus. The PA showed us examples of hand axes just laying around on the ground. This was not a controlled site but you'd have to know what you were looking for or you wouldn't know you were there.

I think the PA Guide was an experiment so don't know if they still offer his services.

Did another bookself cleanout and found another little book written by Kenneth Newman - published in 1976, all about Kruger Park and its animals, birds and camps. There were a series of these little books, but we could only find no 21 at the time